William Penn Life, 1995 (30. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1995-11-01 / 11. szám

November 1995, William Penn Life, Page 3

Member returns to Hungary to build homes

Continued from Page 1

public awareness, reach the grass roots, gain the support of the community and put pressure on Parliament to support Habitat for Humanity in Hungary.

It was a festive day as we walked that final eight kilometers with the Hungarian volunteers. There was TV coverage and a police escort as we went through the downtown area. People along the way were handed leaflets informing them about the Debrecen project and Habitat’s work in Hungary.

The ground breaking ceremonies included speakers from Habitat’s Debrecen affiliate and a Parliament member representing Debrecen. The land was blessed and everyone prayed for the success of the project.

We were introduced to the 18 families who will live in the homes, then we celebrated with plenty of food, pastries, wine, beer and soft drinks. We sang the Hungarian national anthem, which always brings tears to my eyes and tugs at my heart since Hungary is the land of my roots.

After a day’s trip to Sárospatak and Tokai, we traveled to Ráckeve, an old resort community south of Budapest which lies near the site of our work camp in

CONGRA TULA TIONS

to the winners in the William Penn Association 1995 Sales Contest

(Conducted January 1 through August 15,1995)

Alice Barreiro, Pittsburgh, PA Floyd Bryan, Fountainville, PA Suzanne Eveges, Pittsburgh, PA Noreen Fritz, FIC, Pittsburgh, PA Eva Gerber-Varga, East Brunswick, NJ Barbara A. House, Southgate, Ml Robert M. Jones, Jr., Altoona, PA Barbara Kapinus, Pittsburgh, PA Caroline Kovach, Phoenixville, PA Robert Kruty, Brecksville, OH John J. Lippert, Mayville, Wl John L. Lovász, Bethel Park, PA Stephen Mészáros, Avenel, NJ Arpad Sibrik, Columbus, OH Alan A. Szabó, Youngstown, OH Michael F. Tomcsak, FICF, Lakeland, FL Elmer W. Toth, Munhall, PA

We thank these and all our sales representatives for their diligent efforts to enroll new members.

These homes in Adony are among the 50 (and counting) that have been built in Hungary by Habitat for Humanity volunteers like Charlotte Stefanies.

Adony.

In Adony, I had the opportunity to work on the houses for which I helped dig foundations in August. These houses were to be completed sooner, but the Hungarian government took back the money that was allotted for Habitat. We spent our two weeks there working along side the homeowners and Hungarian volunteers, painting, drywall taping and doing as much as possible to ready the homes for occupancy.

Springtime in this part of Hungary is beautiful with everything in bloom. But spring also means rain, and we worked for several days in a cold rain. And, since the dirt roads were torn up for the laying of drainage and gas pipes, we also worked in mud.

The mud was like thick clay, sticking to your shoes and nearly pulling them off as you walked. Through the rain and mud we slipped and slid around as we got our work done.

Yet, our group took up the challenge, worked as a team, and focused on completing our task. We laughed a lot, ate good Hungarian breads and meats and truly lived the native life. The sun finally appeared the last week, and it became very hot. Several of us had colds but continued to work.

We finished the houses leaving little work for the next volunteer group of 45 Belgian high school students. Not to worry; there was plenty of work for them at various sites in Hungary.

I learned that the five houses in Adony were financed by a group from Holland, and I realized how everyone helps when there is a worthy cause such as building houses in Hungary. True international involvement. People caring about people. There really are people who know how to reach out to those in need.

The beauty of Hungary, especially in the latter part of May and early June, is difficult to describe. On my first night in Ráckeve, I watched a beautiful sunset as the fishermen tried to get a catch and was awakened the next morning at 4:00 a.m. by a cuckoo call. A group of us took a boat down the blue-green Danube past the spectacular Buda Hills and Parliament. In Kenézlő we saw many storks building nests and feeding their young. Poppy

flowers were everywhere and the fields were green with various grains and sunflowers.

It was difficult to leave Hungary, but 1 plan to return in August 1996 for Habitat’s Jimmy Carter Work Camp to be held near Gödöllő. The plan calls for building 30 homes on a large site near the city. Lörincz Kálmán predicts it will be a great success and is continually seeking funds to finance the project.

I enjoyed returning to Hungary to help those in need, and I believe in the work of Házat Hazát Alapítvány. Since my parents were born in Hungary and I still have cousins there, I feel a part of Hungary. What better way can I help to build a nation struggling to become an independent democracy than to be part of it as a worker.

Hungarian radio show gets new day, time

McKeesport, pa — The

"Hungarian Varieties” radio program, hosted by Branch 226 McKeesport member Dr. Victor Molnár, has moved to a different day and time.

The program can be heard Fridays at noon during the months

of November, December and January on station WEDO-AM (810) McKeesport. The change was made when the station switched to a sunrise-to-sunset broadcast schedule. "Hungarian Varieties” had aired one evening each week.

Although the musical selections are mainly from the csárdás and hallgató (listening song) category, other types of Hungarian music are featured as well, such as folk songs, operettas, dance tunes and classical music.

Member volunteers to teach English in Hungary

By Doris Ludtke

From Heritage Sunday

ALLEN PARK, MI — As a child, Allen Park retiree Elmer Munesan was the beneficiary of many kindnesses from the Hungarian immigrants who befriended his family years ago in Delray. In September, he boarded a plane for his parents’ homeland to try to give something back.

At his own expense, Mr. Muncsan, a member of William Penn Branch 18 Lincoln Park, will spend 10 months in Szigetszentmiklós, near Budapest. He will teach English as a second language for nine months at the International Baptist Lay Academy (IBLA).

His students will be lay church leaders—deacons, Sunday School teachers and directors of youth and women’s ministries—from 21 Eastern European countries.

The motivation for this new venture definitely is rooted in the past.

"When my parents came to America, married and went through the Depression, many people helped them get established. I remember our Hungarian neighbors picking us up and taking us to church when we didn’t have a car, giving us food and clothing and inviting us over for dinner,” Mr. Muncsan said.

"There isn’t any way I can repay those people; most of them are gone. But, I can give something back.”

The trip also will give Mr. Muncsan, a longtime member and volunteer at Bethel Baptist Church in Southgate and cofounder of the Voices of the Elderly (VOTE) group, an opportunity to experience the country of his ancestors through the eyes of a citizen.

In a way, it is ironic that Mr. Muncsan, 69, will be teaching English to foreigners. Although he was born in the United States, the retired General Motors Corp. executive didn’t learn English until he started school; only Hungarian was spoken in his childhood home.

In time, he and his sisters learned to answer questions from their Hungarian-speaking parents in English, and the parents would understand. At the time of Ethel Muncsan’s death four years ago at 94, she spoke English with hardly any accent at all, her son said.

After his mother’s death, Mr. Muncsan enrolled in Hungarian language education classes at Southgate Anderson High School.

"I didn’t want to forget the language,” he said, adding that he spoke Hungarian almost daily with his mother. "When we wanted to emphasize something, we used Hungarian.”

Mr. Muncsan spent three years in the class, becoming a skilled Hungarian conversationalist. His speech was so good, in fact, that he was able to carry on conversations with the Rev. Gabor Lassú, whom he befriended soon after the minister arrived in this country from Hungary. Rev. Lassú currently is the pastor of West Mound Hungarian Methodist Church in Taylor.

Last year, Mr. Muncsan read an article in his church’s newsletter about the American Baptist Convention’s need for foreign mission volunteers. He telephoned the convention’s director of foreign missions in Valley Forge, Pa., and was encouraged to till out an application tor the teaching staff at the IBLA in Hungary.

Undaunted when he found out the qualifications required certification as a teacher of English as a second languge (ESL), Mr. Muncsan enrolled in two ESL seminars. One was for 18 hours at the University of Michigan International Center in Ann Arbor and the other, conducted by the Dominican Literacy Council in Detroit, lasted 16 hours. During both, he was paired with a teacher to help tutor recent immigrants.

Mr. Muncsan received word that his credentials were accepted by IBLA in May.

A short time later, he sent a check for $600 to Hungary to secure an apartment. Other than his $1,000 round-trip ticket, he said he has no idea what his other expenses will be.

Several days before his scheduled departure, 100 of Mr. Muncsan’s friends and relatives assembled at Bethel for a farewell dinner in his honor.

They came to honor a man who strongly believes in lifelong learning and service to others.

"You don’t stop living once you retire,” he said. "You have to keep your mind active by continuing to learn. The more you learn, the more interesting life is.”